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Biology vocabulary · Molecules of Life and Metabolism

Amino acid

Meaning in biology, with examples

/əˌmiːnoʊ ˈæsɪd/nounCore term

In biology, amino acid means: One of the small building blocks that join in chains to make proteins. Living things use 20 common amino acids, each with a different side chain.

In Turkish: amino asit, aminoasit

How it is used

Amino acids are linked by peptide bonds to form polypeptides, and each one is coded by a three-base codon in mRNA. Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must come from food. They are abbreviated with three letters (Gly, Ala) or one letter (G, A).

Example sentences

  1. The mutation replaces one amino acid with another at position 6 of the protein.

  2. Humans must get nine essential amino acids from their diet.

Common collocations

  • essential amino acid
  • amino acid sequence
  • amino acid chain
  • peptide bond
  • proteinA large molecule made of one or more chains of amino acids folded into a specific shape. Proteins build cell structures, speed up reactions and carry signals.
  • translationThe step of gene expression in which a ribosome reads the codons in messenger RNA and joins the matching amino acids together to build a protein.
  • enzymeA molecule, usually a protein, that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing without being used up. Each enzyme acts on a specific substrate at its active site.
  • nucleotideThe basic building block of DNA and RNA, made of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base such as adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) or cytosine (C).

More terms: Molecules of Life and Metabolism

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